Nepal evinces interest in waste management model of Kulithalai

Director General, Department of Water and Sewerage Management, Nepal, Gajendra Kumar Thakur (second from left) and his team inspecting the solid waste management practices at the Sathyamangalam compost yard of Kulithalai Municipality on Wednesday.

The team on a visit to study practices adopted by civic bodies

The successful solid and liquid waste management model practised in Kulithalai with the support of stakeholders and voluntary organisations could be replicated by civic bodies in Nepal, said the visiting Director General, Department of Water and Sewerage, Gajendra Kumar Thakur, here on Wednesday.

Speaking at the conclusion of a two-day exposure visit of the team led by him to Kulithalai in Karur district, Musiri in Tiruchi district, and Nagapattinam districts to study the various aspects of waste management practiced by civic bodies, Mr.Thakur said that the endeavour to create awareness among stakeholders, including school children, college students, women self help group members, traders, businesspersons, housewives, and government staff was laudable.

The sustainability and success of the programme hinged on this overall participation, he added.

The team visited residential and commercial areas in Kulithalai town limit, Sathyamangalam compost yard, and the vermicompost centre where the municipality chairman A.Amuthavel detailed the steps taken by the municipality to collect and dispose the waste, and the process evolved by it to make money out of waste.

The role played by stakeholders, civic body workers, and voluntary organisations such as Exnora International was noteworthy.

Project coordinator of Exnora International and facilitator of the programme, T.Vijay Anand, said that the waste management programme of Kulithalai Municipality was drawn up as per the framework suggested by the Union government, and followed the guidelines of the Urban Sanitation Policy.

The Decentralised Waste Water Treatment System (DEWATS) in the tsunami shelter in Nagapattinam district was the fore runner to 12 similar DEWATS in other tsunami-hit areas of the State constructed with World Bank aid and technical support of Bremen Overseas Development Association of Germany.

Advisor, Exnora International, V.Ganapathy, spoke about the DEWATS implemented by Exnora-BORDA in permanent tsunami shelters at Kadambadi in Nagapattinam district, and at the community toilets in Musiri town panchayat in Tiruchi district.

Musiri town panchayat executive officer, N. Subramanian, explained how the town panchayat was able to save over Rs.50,000 a year through the implementation of DEWATS besides being a model to small and medium towns in liquid waste management.

Director of Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Project, Nepal, Ram Deep Saha, agreed that the facility is a cost-effective model whose operational maintenance could be handed over to the community, and is worthy of emulation.